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She Doesn’t Have a Clue

By Jenny Elder Moke

Coming January 21, 2025

(3 / 5)

She Doesn’t Have a Clue combines mystery and romance when an author, Kate, attends a wedding on a remote private island. Kate writes a mystery series, and when the mystery that she encounters parallels the plot of one of her books, she tries to channel her fictional character to solve it. Meanwhile, the groom at the wedding is Kate’s ex-fiancé, and her former friend/crush, Jake, is also in attendance.

The premise of this book seemed interesting, but unfortunately, it ended up falling a bit flat for me. I struggled with the beginning of the book, I think because we are meeting so many sketchy characters that I had a hard time keeping track of who was who. The narrative would also occasionally switch to the book that Kate wrote, which threw me off even more. It was obvious from the start that Kate had history with Jake, but the references were vague, and I felt a bit out of the loop (it was eventually explained, but not until much later in the book). Things did get more interesting when Kate realized that one of the wedding guests was up to no good, and there’s a mystery to solve. I figured out the culprit about 70% of the way through, though it wasn’t super obvious, and I think other readers might be kept guessing for a while. In the end, the story kept my attention well enough, but I feel like I never really connected with Kate and the story was a bit too chaotic for my taste, so it just wasn’t the right book for me.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review a free copy of She Doesn’t Have a Clue! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

Penitence

By Kristin Koval

Coming January 28, 2025

(3 / 5)

This book starts with an interesting premise… a struggling family is thrown into turmoil when their 13-year-old daughter, Nora, shoots and kills their 14-year-old son, Nico. The parents, Angie and David, feel like they have no option but to ask the local lawyer, Martine, for help. This is extra complicated because Angie used to date Martine’s son, Julian, who has to help on the case because he has far more experience in criminal defense than his mother. This all dredges up memories of a terrible tragedy from Angie and Julian’s past.

I feel like I’m going to be in the minority here, but this book wasn’t quite for me. I was already expecting it to be an intense read (which it was), and the writing did a good job at presenting a solemn feel to it. While it started with a sense of mystery about the shooting as well as Angie and Julian’s past, much of the book was slower paced and contemplative without providing direct answers and resolutions. A lot of the book felt like an internal monologue of the various characters, with not a lot of action or dialogue. Most of the characters were flawed, spending a lot of time reflecting on secrets and mistakes from the past. Personally, I felt like I could never completely connect with any of the characters. The book was thought-provoking, exploring topics of forgiveness and moving on, in addition to a critical look at the judiciary system, especially in relation to juveniles. One of the (intended) surprising moments in the book was something I had already been suspecting for a while, though there were still aspects of it that I hadn’t considered. In the end, I think the book just wasn’t quite what I was expecting, so it didn’t keep me as engaged as much as I hoped it would. For the right reader, though, I think the book holds a lot of promise.

Thank you to Celadon Books and BookishFirst for the free review copy of Penitence! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

December 6, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Literary Fiction Paperback 0

Promise Me Sunshine

By Cara Bastone

Coming March 4, 2025

(4 / 5)

Promise Me Sunshine is a romance story that focuses heavily on learning to live through grief. Our protagonist, Lenny, is very much struggling with life after the loss of her best friend to cancer, to the point where she won’t even go home. While at a babysitting job, she meets Miles, who can be a bit rough around the edges but recognizes that Lenny is struggling. Miles has had to deal with grief himself, so he offers to help Lenny. I really enjoyed reading this story and thought it dealt with some very heavy topics well. I liked both of the main characters and thought that their different personalities complimented each other in a way that brought out the best in each other. Lenny and the grief she was dealing with felt very real but also left me with a feeling of hope. The romance is very slow burn, but I really had to respect how Miles navigated Lenny’s grief with her. This was a book that was hard to put down, and I would love to read more by the author!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group, Dial Press Trade Paperback, and NetGalley for the free review copy of Promise Me Sunshine! All opinions expressed are completely my own.

December 2, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance Women's Fiction 0

The Beasts We Bury

By D. L. Taylor

Coming February 4, 2025

(4 / 5)

The Beasts We Bury is a young adult fantasy story that follows Mancella, an heir to the throne who has the magical ability to summon animals, but only after she has killed them. We also follow Silver, a thief who has been tasked with infiltrating the castle and deceiving Mancella. Things become complicated as the two get to know each other better.

I really enjoyed this book and thought both of the main characters were likable. They each had distinct personalities that were relatable. There were some interesting side characters, and Mancella’s father was a special kind of evil that made him quite a villain. I thought the magic in this world felt different and unique from other books I’ve read. Mancella’s magic could definitely be hard to read about at times since it involves killing animals, but I could also feel her despair about it all. I liked the relationship between Mancella and Silver, feeling it was believable and enough to create tension without being the focus of the story. I’m not sure if this book is the beginning of a series, but I’d definitely like to dive back into this world if it were.

I was able to listen to the audiobook version, which I thought was done very well. There were two narrators to represent the two main characters. I thought both narrators did a great job at representing the emotions and personalities of both characters.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners, and NetGalley for the free audiobook copy of The Beasts We Bury! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

November 26, 2024 by danimae1981 Audiobook Fantasy Fiction Young Adult 0

The Notorious Virtues

By Alwyn Hamilton

Coming April 1, 2025

(5 / 5)

In a world where magic is real and history reads like a fairy tale, the heiress to the most powerful family is murdered, initiating a set of trials to determine the next heiress.

In The Notorious Virtues, we follow the perspectives of four very different characters: Nora – the presumed next heiress of the Holtzfall family who appears to just be a spoiled brat; Lotte – an orphan deserted at a convent who discovers she’s not only part of the Holtzfall family, but a contender at being the next heiress; Theo – a knight whose family has a blood oath to protect the Holtzfall family; and August – a young journalist hoping to break a big story so he can have a better life.

I’ll be honest, it took me a bit to get into this book, I think because on the surface Nora seemed so unlikeable. But as I continued on, Nora’s character grew on me, and I enjoyed getting to know the other main characters better as well. The story had a lot of depth to it and went in directions that I often didn’t expect or see coming, keeping me guessing until the end. There were complicated relationships and challenges that characters had to face. It was interesting to see the social hierarchy, battles for power, and political atmosphere from the different perspectives, and there were so many intricacies to it all that made it feel like so much more than a typical young adult story. It appears that this book is the first in a series. I’m honestly not sure where this story is heading from here, but wherever it is, I’m looking forward to it.

Thank you to Penguin Teen and BookishFirst for the free review copy of The Notorious Virtues! All opinions are completely my own.

November 12, 2024 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Paperback Young Adult 0

Ex Marks the Spot

By Gloria Chao

Coming December 31, 2024

(4.5 / 5)

It’s always been just Gemma and her mom, with no other family or connections to her heritage in Thailand. When she finds out that her grandfather has recently passed and left her a trail of clues that lead to Thailand and a possible inheritance, Gemma can’t pass up on the opportunity. But the only way to get there is to ask for help from her ex and biggest rival, Xander.

Ex Marks the Spot was one of those books that I just couldn’t put down and really enjoyed reading. At first I thought Gemma, our main character, felt a bit young and was a little petty in her rivalry against her ex, Xander, but it allowed for an incredible amount of character growth. I really enjoyed the treasure hunt feel of the story, with various puzzles presented along the way. I couldn’t fully appreciate all of them since I don’t know Mandarin, but since Gemma doesn’t either, it didn’t take away from the story at all. I loved all the vivid descriptions of landmarks and food in Thailand, and found myself looking up more information along the way since it all sounded so amazing. While there’s a romance that develops along the way, I think the themes of finding heritage, learning family history, the true meaning of family, learning to understand others, and figuring out who you are were the shining themes of the book. I also enjoyed the story within the story while Gemma learned about her grandfather’s past and the challenges he faced in life. After reading this book, I definitely want to read more by author Gloria Chao.

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group, Viking Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for the free review copy of Ex Marks the Spot! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

November 8, 2024 by danimae1981 eBook Fiction Young Adult 0

The Last Creation

The Last She #3

By H. J. Nelson

Coming December 3, 2024

(4 / 5)

The Last Creation is the 3rd (and presumably final) book in the The Last She series. I really enjoyed the whole series, though I think I liked the first two books a little more than this one. I thought it was interesting to follow the perspectives of 4 different characters (Ara, Kaden, Sam, and Sevyn), and Sevyn gave some interesting insight into the Creation, who are basically the villains of this story. The book starts with many of the characters separated (again) and converging in Boise, though this part took longer than I was expecting. There’s definitely an ominous tone to the story with the impending doom of the Creation coming. Many of the characters are faced with very difficult choices to make, and it was interesting to see how these characters have grown and changed over the course of the 3 books. Some parts were downright heartbreaking, while others gave a sense of hope. The book ended with a couple things that felt a bit unresolved, leaving me a bit disappointed, though admittedly it kept me thinking for a while after reading it. If another book eventually comes out for this series, I’ll definitely want to read it.

Thank you to Wattpad Books and NetGalley for the free review copy of The Last Creation! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

November 4, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Young Adult 0

A Cruel Thirst

By Angela Montoya

Coming December 17, 2024

(4 / 5)

Lalo has been turned into a vampire, but he is determined to undo the curse and not lose his humanity. Carolina wants to hunt vampires with the rest of her family, but her parents would rather arrange a marriage and life of safety for her. Will the two be able to work together to rid the world of vampires?

I enjoyed reading A Cruel Thirst. It integrates a lot of common vampire lore while also providing explanations for its origins, stemming back to gods and the first vampire. I liked both of the main characters, with Lalo being rather dramatic and terrible at being a vampire while Carolina was strong, spirited, and independent. The relationship that develops between them had the right amount of push and pull to keep it believable and interesting. I thought the Latino background of the characters was enhanced with the use of Spanish words throughout the story, but in a way that someone who doesn’t know the language can still understand the meaning. Overall, I felt that this story was done really well, and I look forward to reading more by the author.

Thank you to Random House Children’s, Joy Revolution, and NetGalley for the free review copy of A Cruel Thirst! All opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

October 13, 2024 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Kindle Romance Young Adult 0

Heist Royale

Thieves’ Gambit #2

By Kayvion Lewis

Coming November 12, 2024

(4 / 5)

Heist Royale is the sequel to Thieves’ Gambit, taking place around 6 months after the events of the first book. It has the same fast pace and nonstop thrills that kept it interesting and exciting. I was happy to see the return of several characters from the first book while still meeting some new characters too. I did find that I didn’t love this book quite as much as the first one… I felt like a few parts of the book just didn’t seem to piece together like I thought they should. Plus, some of the reveals were things that I saw coming, so it just didn’t have the shock factor. By all means, Heist Royale was still a good read that I enjoyed, but maybe my expectations were a little too high going into this one.

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group, Nancy Paulsen Books, and NetGalley for the free review copy of Heist Royale! All opinions are completely my own.

October 7, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Young Adult 0

If I Stopped Haunting You

by Colby Wilkens

Coming October 15, 2024

(3.5 / 5)

Four months after rival authors Pen and Neil have a rather public fight that results in one throwing a book at the other, they find themselves on the same writer’s retreat in Scotland. With the castle they are staying at rumored to be haunted and feelings between them getting complicated, can they survive the whole week together?

If I Stopped Haunting You was an interesting combination of spicy romance with paranormal activity and some horror elements. The settings gave the story a creepy undertone that was fitting, and I enjoyed the detailed descriptions. The story begins with Pen acting a bit childish and impulsive, which doesn’t give the best first impression, but I ended up enjoying her character anyway. I liked that the book alternated between the points of view of both of the main characters, which helped me understand and like them both better. For the most part I liked the story, though it lost some momentum for me for maybe the last third of the book – characters seemed to make some illogical choices given the circumstances, and the ghost mystery was resolved in a way that left me a bit underwhelmed. A few things seemed to go unexplained too, though I can see how it adds to the mysterious atmosphere of the story. Of note, I appreciated the insight into the experiences of Indigenous authors, an ongoing theme throughout the story.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin, and NetGalley for the free review copy of If I Stopped Haunting You! All opinions presented in my review are completely my own.

September 29, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0